Combined bed tray, table and walker



Feb. 1, 1966 w. P. HUGHES COMBINED BED TRAY, TABLE AND WALKER Filed Aug.16, 1963 M i U Wm w M 1 a M a 4 Na 2 a a) 2 7 4 I NVEN TOR.

WALTER I! HUGHES ATTORNEYJ United States Patent l 3,232,251 C(EMBINEBBED TRAY, TABLE AND WALKER Walter P. Hughes, 3 Daley Ave, lvlcthuen,Mass. Filed Aug. 16, 1963, et. No. 302,540 3 Claims. (Cl. TOE-t?) Thisinvention relates to invalid walker frames and particularly to a walkerframe having a removable bed table which enables the frame to be used asan invalid dining table.

In late years, nursing homes for elderly invalid patients have been onthe increase, some of the patients being able to walk, some beingbedridden and some being able to sit down at a table during meals. Aroom in a nursing home usually contains a hospital type bed, bureaus,chairs and the like, together with some of the personal furniture andpossessions of the occupant and space is often at a premium. There isseldom sulficient space to accommodate a separate walker, dining tableand bed food table and often it is difficult to find a surface on whichto rest a bed table when it cannot be supported on the bed for any ofvarious reasons, such as the need of the patient to leave the bedtemporarily.

The principal object of this invention, therefore, is to provide acombined unit occupying only a single space in the room of a patient butquickly convertible from a dining table, to a bed table and invalidwalker.

Another object of the invention is to provide combined walker, diningtable and table apparatus made at low cost of light tubular material andseparable for shipment in a relatively flat container.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus withside frames of A configuration, whereby the bed table can be supportedon the cross bar of the A frames to form a leg supporting hassock.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from theclaims, the description of the drawing and from the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordancewith the invention,

FIG. 2 is a front elevation,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the device in use as aninvalid walker,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bed table removed from the walker,and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the bed table forming ahassock.

The combined invalid walker, bed food table and dining table apparatus2i), of the invention, includes the walker frame 21 and the removablebed table 22.

The walker frame 21 is formed by a pair of side frame members 23 and 24,each preferably being of A configuration and of light, tubular materialsuch as aluminum. Each side frame includes a horizontal side rail, orsupport 25, a front leg 26, a rear leg 27 and a cross bar 2%, thesupports 25 being at dining table level, or height above the level offloor 29.

Each side frame member 23 and 24 includes a walker handle such as 31 or32 and each walker handle 32 is fixed to, and integral with the frame,preferably extending upwardly from dining table level at the backthereof as at 33 and then turning forwardly at 34 to extend horizontallyat walker handle level well above dining table level as at 35, parallelto the support 25 and terminating at a free terminal end at beyond thecentre of the side frame. As shown, each side frame member 23 and 24,including its walker handle 31 or 32, is preferably unitary and fiat sothat the apparatus 20 may be shipped in disassembled form withoutoccupying undue space. It will Patented Feb. 1, 1966 be seen that aforward opening 37 is thus formed for the forward insertion and removalof the bed table 22 of the invention.

Transverse brace means 39 extends between the side frame members 23 and24 in the form of a generally U-shaped bar -f-ll having terminal ends 41and 42 detachably connected by bolts 43 to each rear leg 27 of themembers at about the height of the horizontal supports 25. Anothergenerally U-shaped bar 44 has its terminal ends 45 and 45 detachablyconnected by bolts 47 to each rear leg 27 of the members at about thelevel of the cross bars 28 of the side frame members. The bars il and 44are preferably tubular aluminum and extend longitudinally across therearward portion of the space 48 between the upstanding side framemembers 23 and 24 to rigidly connect the same into a recumbant U-shapedfigure. It should be noted that a forward opening 49 and an upperopening 56 are thus formed which, as in the case of the space 43, arefree of transverse elements of any kind.

The bed food table 22 includes the food supporting surface 53 and a pairof legs 54 and 55, each at an opposite end of the surface 53, the latterpreferably being of tubular aluminum bent as shown in FIG. 5. Theunderside 56 of table 22 rests on the horizontal supports 25, with thelegs 54 and 55 extending downwardly on the outside of the side rails andframe members to prevent longitudinal displacement while the upstandingparts 33 of the handles prevent rearward lateral displacement. However,the table 22 may be quickly inserted, and removed, through forwardopening 37, from the front of the frame 21 and, as shown in FIG. 1,forms a dining table at which a patient may sit down to eat or uponwhich the table may be temporarily supported before being placed on thebed of a bedridden patient.

As shown in FIG. 6, the table 22 may also be supported on the cross bars28 of side members 23 and 24 at hassock height above the floor level tosupport the legs and feet of a patient.

In PEG. 3 the table is shown removed, with the frame 21 in use as aninvalid walker. The unobstructed upper opening 50, forward opening 49and the space 43 enclosed by the three sided frame permit the handles 35to be grasped by the patient while the centre of gravity of the patientis within the confines of the frame. The light tubular structure of theframe permits it to be easily lifted and advanced by the patient forwalking with the handle grip portions 35 at walker handle level of aboutwaist height above the level of the fioor 29.

I claim:

1. Combined invalid walker, bed table and dining table apparatus, saidapparatus comprising a pair of longitudinally spaced apart, upstanding,tu-

bular side frame members, each having a laterally extending side rail atdining table level above floor level, said members defining anunobstructed space therebetween;

transverse brace means extending longitudinally across the rearwardportion of said space and rigidly connecting said frame members; bedtable having an intermediate food supporting surface and a pair oflongitudinally spaced apart legs, said legs being each on an oppositeend of said surface and extending downwardly therefrom, on the outsideof said side rails to well below said dining table level to preventsidewise displacement of said table, and said surface resting on, andextending between said side rails but being independent of connectionthereto for ready removability;

a pair of invalid walker handles, each fixed to one of said side framemembers and each extending upwardly from the rearward portion thereof,to prevent rearward displacement of said table, then turning forwardlyand horizontally at walker handle level of about waist height abovefioor level and terminating in a free terminal end beyond the centre ofsaid frame members;

said apparatus constituting a dining table when said bed table isresting on said side rails and constituting an invalid walker when saidbed table is removed therefrom.

2. Combined Walker, bed table and dining table apparatus as specified inclaim 1 wherein each said side frame member is of A configuration withthe cross bar of the A, at hassock level between chair level and floorlevel, and

said frame members are parallel to each other whereby said bed table maybe inserted sidewise into said frames to rest on said cross bars andserve as a removable hassock.

3. In an invalid walker of the recumbent U-shaped type having a pair oftubular A side frames and a rearward connecting frame the combination ofside rails on said A frames extending horizontally at dining table levelabove floor level;

a bed table having a horizontal food supporting portion resting on saidside rails and extending from outside of one said side frametransversely to outside the other said side frame, said table havinglegs depending downwardly from each opposite end, on the outside of saidframes to Well below said dining 4. table level to prevent sidewisedisplacement of said bed table, and a pair of walker handles fixed onsaid frame each handle extending upwardly from the rearward portionthereof, to prevent rearward displacement of said bed table; thenextending forwardly and horizontally at walker handle level of aboutwaist height above floor level and terminating in a free terminal end toform a forward opening for the insertion and removal of said bed table.

References Cited by the Examiner FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

1. COMBINED INVALID WALKER, BED TABLE AND DINING TABLE APPARATUS, SAIDAPPARATUS COMPRISING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APART, UPSTANDING,TUBULAR SIDE FRAME MEMBERS, EACH HAVING A LATERALLY EXTENDING SIDE RAILAT DINING TABLE LEVEL ABOVE FLOOR LEVEL, SAID MEMBERS DEFINING ANUNOBSTRUCTED SPACE THEREBETWEEN; TRANSVERSE BRACE MEANS EXTENDINGLONGITUDINALLY ACROSS THE REARWARD PORTION OF SAID SPACE AND RIDIGLYCONNECTING SAID FRAME MEMBERS; A BED TABLE HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE FOODSUPPORTING SURFACE AND A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APART LEGS, SAIDLEGS BEING EACH ON AN OPPOSITE END OF SAID SURFACE AND EXTENDINGDOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID SIDE RAILS TO WELL BELOWSAID DINING TABLE LEVEL TO PREVENT SIDEWISE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID TABLE,AND SAID SURFACE RESTING ON, AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDE RAILS BUTBEING INDEPENDENT OF CONNECTION THERETO FOR READY REMOVABILITY; A PAIROF INVALID WALKER HANDLES, EACH FIXED TO ONE OF SAID SIDE FRAME MEMBERSAND EACH EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE REARWARD PORTION THEREOF, TOPREVENT REARWARD DISPLACEMENT OF SAID TABLE, THEN TURNING FORWARDLY ANDHORIZONTALLY AT WALKER HANDLE LEVEL OF ABOUT WAIST HEIGHT ABOVE FLOORLEVEL AND TERMINATING IN A FREE TERMINAL END BEYOND THE CENTRE OF SAIDFRAME MEMBERS; SAID APPARATUS CONSTITUTING A DINING TABLE WHEN SAID BEDTABLE IS RESTING ON SAID SIDE RAILS AND CONSTITUTING AN INVALID WALKERWHEN SAID BED TABLE IS REMOVED THEREFROM.